How to Remove Mildew from Windowsills in Japan

    When I recently converted our storage area into my daughter's bedroom, I noticed that the window sills had a bit of darkened weirdness to them. My husband calls all of this mold when in actuality what we call this in English is mildew, which is still gross but doesn't sound quite as serious. In any case, getting rid of this can take a bit of work or some fairly harsh chemicals.

    There are a number of mildew and mold fighting chemical cleaners on the market but this round I didn't want to deal with the strong smells of bleach and such so instead I scoured the internet and came up with different answers.

    For my less abrasively scented cleaning solution, I had to seek out a few things I didn't have much experience with buying in Japan, one of which was impossible at my local stores. Baking soda (重曹 juusou) at my local supermarket is only sold in tiny doses, meant for baking only, and is not cost effective as a cleaning product. In Sendai, I found larger quantities of more reasonably priced baking soda available at TOMIZAWA on the first floor of the main (old) SPAL building connected to Sendai Station. I also found it available at CostCo.

    The other main ingredient was what I know as peroxide, the household antiseptic. In Japan, it goes by oxydol (オキシドール) and can usually be found in the pharmacy department of grocery stores or even some 100 yen stores.

    I started by putting the oxydol/peroxide into a small spray bottle from the 100 yen store and sprinkling the powdery baking soda on the icky bits before I sprayed them with oxydol/peroxide. Using an old toothbrush, I scrubbed the two together, making a cleaning paste that took care of mildew in little to no time.

    With the toothbrush still covered in the paste, I also scrubbed the side of the sill where a little mildew had crept and it came away in seconds. I then wiped up the mess from the cleaners with a paper towel, using cotton swabs to get any little chunks of baking soda or cleaning paste out of the corners of the window track.

    What I like about this method is that these cleaning agents can be used on so many other household cleaning projects without damaging clothing or creating too much of a stink. If this appeals to you, too, keep an eye out for baking soda (重曹) and oxydol (オキシドール) when you're shopping in Japan.